several times in this discussion on population, there have been references made to those in "more educated countries" or "more informed societies", saying that greater education would play a key role in lowering the global birth rate. i agree that more education is necessary, but i feel that when i call for a higher rate of education, i mean something different from the statements that have recently been made. the above statements appear to say "if only _those_ people could be taught how damaging having a lot of children are, they would lower their family sizes." this thinking is faulty for several reasons. the first, as i believe has been brought up in this discussion, is that population is not just a numbers game. consumption and use and acquisition of world resources also play pivotal roles. although the exact equation escapes me at the moment, the Ehrlichs came up with an equation for figuring the impact of population that, basically, multiplied the physical number of people with how much they consume. using this model, one child born in the US would be estimated to have something like 300 times greater impact on the planet than one born in, say, cambodia. (no, these are not the exact figures, but more of a metaphorical illustration) also, the education that is needed is more towards giving the women in countries that are physically crowded options and opportunities beyond that of finding worth in child bearing. japan experiences this with its young women of today who are delaying child bearing in favor of work. so women don't just have children because it is a biological need; that may be one factor for some women, but there are definitely cultural/social factors that could be changed as women are educated and educate themselves and each other about options. (i also believe it was a recent UNDP study on population which FINALLY stated that greater education of women would be advisable to reduce birth rates.) so, while i had also been giving the posters the benefit of the doubt, i just thought it is better to be sure than to assume we all are saying the same thing. (as a grade school teacher was fond of saying "never assume, you just make an ass out of u and me") skal lisa jones
